A new documentary, “9500 Liberty,” offers a revealing look at the battle over immigration in the U.S. through the lens of one place, Prince William County, Virginia. The film has already won several film festival awards, and this is a trailer for the film (4:23) which gives you a sense of it:
Filmmakers Annabel Park and Eric Byler describe the film this way:
9500 Liberty reveals the startling vulnerability of a local government, targeted by national anti-immigration networks using the Internet to frighten and intimidate lawmakers and citizens. Alarmed by a climate of fear and racial division, residents form a resistance using YouTube videos and virtual townhalls, setting up a real-life showdown in the seat of county government. The devastating social and economic impact of the “Immigration Resolution” is felt in the lives of real people in homes and in local businesses. But the ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse this policy unfolds inside government chambers, on the streets, and on the Internet. 9500 Liberty provides a front row seat to all three battlegrounds.
You can find upcoming screenings and theatrical releases here.
Interestingly enough, the Virginia Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, issued a statement a few days ago in response to question from a state representative in Prince William County (I’m fairly certain it was that county) concerning police asking for immigration statuses. Cuccinelli basically said police can ask suspects they arrest AND stop for criminal infractions (not civil, however). The ACLU of Virginia sent police chiefs across the state a letter telling them to ignore the AG’s statement on immigration statuses. Their justifications: the AG didn’t use a single piece of state legislation to justify his opinion (how’s that for law work) and he obviously ignored the part where a federal judge last week blocked a similar portion of the Arizona immigration law last week.